DeLand column: Vikings shine in grocery store line

To absolutely nobody’s surprise, there was a line at grocery store checkout Lane 4. Imagine that.

Standing directly behind me was a 10-year-old boy wearing a Minnesota Vikings T-shirt and holding a bag of Doritos.

Behind him was a middle-aged man with a small basket and a big smile.

And as we all waited for the nice old lady in front of us to count out exact change from her purse — nice old ladies always have exact change — the middle-aged guy struck up a conversation.

“Are you a Vikings fan, son?” he asked.

The boy paused for a pensive moment. “My dad is,” he said.

Good answer, kid.

Potentially, that could have ended the conversation right there. But the man behind him interpreted the kid’s response to mean “Yes.”

And so, he proceeded to launch into a grocery store synopsis of the 2014 Vikings — all the reasons why they should be better, why they could rise from the depths, why they once again might actually be pertinent.

“I have very high hopes,” the man said.

The kid sort of nodded in noncommittal fashion before offering some comment on how much he liked the store’s 75-cent doughnuts.

So is last season. Minnesota went 5-11-1 and finished last in the NFC North after making the playoffs the year before. The Vikings were atrocious defensively, ineffective and quarterback-challenged offensively, and seemingly rudderless during and after a 1-7 start.

And yet, Vikings fans are nothing if not inherently optimistic. Their team made enough changes during the offseason to reignite the passion for 2014, or at least to reignite it in Minnesota grocery store lines.

New coach Mike Zimmer promises to be considerably less Minnesota Nice than predecessor Leslie Frazier, and that’s widely regarded as a good thing.

New quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is perceived as a steal with the final pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, a potential franchise quarterback of the future — perhaps the very near future, given his underwhelming competition at the position.

New linebacker Anthony Barr looks like an athletic difference-maker at a position that desperately needed an upgrade.

There’s a budding star at wide receiver. Cordarrelle Patterson was underused as a receiver during his rookie year, but he’s an intriguing weapon if somebody can consistently get him the ball.

There’s a holdover star at running back. It’s hard to imagine what Adrian Peterson might accomplish if he was complemented by even a decent NFL passing attack.

There’s new talent at cornerback. Free agent acquisition Captain Munnerlyn (is that a great name or what?) is the only new starter, but Xavier Rhodes looks ready — and really, anything is an improvement over the mercifully departed Chris Cook.

There’s a new outlook. Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard that only about 647 times. But it’s most certainly new, even though only time will tell if it’s actually better.

But after one preseason game, the checkout line optimist certainly seemed convinced.

If Bridgewater is starting by midseason, and if he’s the long-awaited franchise quarterback ... if the defense is better ... if the team is better coached ... if the Vikings can finish 8-8 ...

“That’d be a successful season,” he said. The kid nodded again, although he obviously was still thinking about the doughnuts.

No matter. It was a happy, optimistic moment, and it’s hard to argue with him on any of it. That’s truly what makes it a dose of grocery store wisdom.

This is the opinion of Times columnist Dave DeLand. Contact him at 255-8771 or at ddeland@stcloudtimes.com. Follow him on Twitter @davedeland. Join him for a live chat from noon-1 p.m. Thursdays at www.sctimes.com.